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Danny Upshaw
Referenced in *The Big Nowhere History Deputy Detective Danny Upshaw was 4F so was unable to serve in the war. As a result he joined the LASD in '44 so as to investigate a crime he saw as a youth. He works in the LA Sheriff's office. He is also a forensic science student at USC, where Dr. Nort Layman teaches. The Big Nowhere When Danny catches a call on New Year's 1950 he goes to a grisly murder scene. The body is horribly mutilated and when the body comes in to be autopsied he bribes a doctor to allow him to do it himself. During the autopsy he finds that the victim was gagged with a terry-cloth, after noticing a thread under the deceased's chin. Danny goes to 77th Street and questions people at the various jazz clubs. Not only does he find out the John Doe's name is Martin Goines and that he had had a heroin addiction but kicked it and was mostly engaged in alcohol. It's also revealed to Danny by Coleman Healy, a saxophonist, that he was seen with an older man who appeared to be his sugar daddy taking him to the Buick in which he was transported. While questioning on the Goines murder Danny discovers that Goines regularly engaged in car thefts and burglaries in the company of a young man who was heavily bandaged. Danny questions a dog fight breeder who says the bites on Goines' stomach couldn't have been from an animal. The owner also tells him that some Hollywood folks had once been there years ago. He also finds out from Nort Layman that the cuts on his back were from a zoot stick. Having acquired Goines' address Danny goes to his apartment to find a gruesome scene of blood-covered walls and furniture. In addition to this there's a "W" written with blood on the wall, 3 pairs of clothes in the bathroom, and the eyes of Goines along with an unknown man's finger. When he encounters a burglar associate of Goines, Leo Bordoni, he finds out nothing too pertinent except Goines wasn't a homosexual but Danny isn't sure. Later on he comes upon two more bodies posed in a homosexual manner, ones he thinks could be his two new deaths since he guessed from the pure amount of blood it had to be two people. Coming upon it first however doesn't matter due to the fact that Gene Niles of the LAPD comes upon it as well and takes an immediate dislike to Danny due to jurisdictional issues. Doc Layman tells him they were anally raped by a man who had O+ semen like in the Goines murder. Also of the two men the missing finger man was bigger and died from a throat gash, probably in a struggle and the other man died from a barbiturate OD. In addition regarding the Goines murder, Layman tells him that the bites were from dentures, possibly not of a human nature. Doc Layman fills him in on the new bodies' names, the larger man, George Wiltsie who had two prostitution arrests and Duane Lindenuar who had a dropped extortion charge, which is later revealed to be connected to a scheme he pulled where he blackmailed a man named Charles Hartshorn by introducing him to a escort service. Finding out Lindenaur was a screenwriter at Variety International Pictures Danny goes and unknowingly sees Lopez, Benavides, and Duarte, and talks afterwards to John Lembeck who tells him that Felix Gordean, a legit talent agent also runs a male escort service. Danny tasks his task force, Mike Breuning, Jack Shortell, and Gene Niles with their respective jobs, jobs not connected to his file. Leaving the meeting he meets with Mal and Dudley who gives him a number of scenarios that he might run into with Claire. Mal then tells him he needs a new haircut and clothes before he can go in. Afterwards he goes to the Chateau Marmont, hoping his previous excitement at Gordean's club was a one off. Gordean tells him while he can't give him any information on his clientele or Charles Hartshorn in particular he can give him the name of a Cy Vandrich who's in a mental hospital. Danny also notices that when he describes the murders Gordean makes a noticeable reaction. Gordean also takes notice of Danny's reaction when questioned if he in fact was a homosexual. Going back to get his new clothes from Mal, he tells Danny he'll take him with him as he rises through the ranks. Danny questions Vandrich who tells him he knew Gordean from the war when he was trying to dodge service. He also says while he knew Wiltsie from one of Gordean's parties but only trucked with him once. Now, Gordean he says only gets his kicks from outing young men and since he has a talent agency it gives him a slew of possibilities who he then invites to his parties, parties at which he views men from a room with a one-way mirror. Going back to the squad room he finds out Shortell found nothing about the dentures and Niles and Breuning found nothing on the zoot stick angle and Breuning, to Danny's notice thinks it odd he wants to play it off as nothing despite what Danny says. Also Breuning and Niles discover a rumor a Cohen-Dragna heroin deal. Following the meeting he goes to Variety International and gets in the scripted fight Mal said. Luckily, after getting beaten up, he was picked up by Norm Kostenz, who introduces him to Claire. After meeting her Danny goes on to investigate his murder case by staking out Gordean's place, coming away with four names he asks for identifying information on. When he leaves he is tailed and when he calls the DMV again the operator tells him his partner called and was more polite, when asked how he sounded he is told he sounded cultured. When Danny goes to question Gordean he meets a friend of Gordean's, Christopher, who when he hears about the description of the gray haired man tell him that he had seen him near Gordean's place around a bus stop and that he might have a gripe with Gordean and his associates. He also corroborates the fact that one of the IDs Danny found, Augie Duarte was worked for Gordean. Danny continues to canvas darktown, all the while thinking about his mystery man who tailed him, something new to haunt him besides his past. Going over to his Ted persona he goes to see Claire and Norm who discuss lowering the boom on the studios when the time is right, a statement that wrings as odd to Danny. Going back to take a look at the state of the investigation he goes to find that Jack had added car theft in addition to their denture lead In the process Breuning tells him that he had got four men to follow the IDs from Gordean however they'd only report to Dudley. Pissed already Gene Niles comes and confronts Danny about how he questioned Bordoni, the burglar Danny already questioned at Goines' apartment, and accuses him of lying about how he picked up the case and says perhaps Dany was a queer himself which resulted in a fist fight. Later that night, in response to Claire's previous invitation, goes to her house before entering however he listens in on a number of different topics one where an artistic Belgian director, Paul Donielle, a name that's appeared in Mal's questioning of Rolff as well. Entering he meets Mort Zifkin, Chaz Minear, and Reynolds Loftis and it is not lost of Danny that he resembles his suspect. Tossing it aside though Claire and him go to a jazz club, Club Zombie. While there though the mulatto owner who approaches her and somehow makes her uncomfortable. Despite the date being ruined though it ends with a kiss. Rushing to see Gordean he tells him he wants all his information and he wants it now, only to get rebuffed. wants Danny finds out Augie Duarte was killed in the similar manner and despite Breuning saying he was tailing him, Jack tells him that's horseshit because he and Dudley were at the station all night. Also Danny finds out the teeth marks in the bodies were from a Wolverine, sending Danny remembering the bloody "W" in Goines' apartment. Going home he ponders what he found out, looking up wolverines and thinks how his murderer could be like one and is possibly is tortured and commits his murders as a result of what happened to him. When he finds out about Charles Hartshorn's death he starts to try to put his case together since Hartshorn was the victim of Lindenaur's extortion. He realizes something is off however and when Buzz tells him he questioned Hartshorn but never said anything because he didn't come off as a murderer and only was someone connected to Reynolds Loftis in a '44 roust, Danny starts putting the pieces together about how Hartshorn, Lindenaur, and Loftis al connect. Going into his Ted Krugman role he goes to Claire's house and finds a note to let himself in. Going in he inspects the house and finds a journal of meeting notes and takes note that Loftis was present at all the times of the murder. When Claire and Loftis return however and he notices the discomfort Loftis shows when Hartshorn's suicide is brought up. Afterwards Claire takes Danny into a screening room he watches one movie that has pitbulls attacking each other in a bloody rage followed by a stag film featuring Gordean as well as his friend Christopher among others, which excites Danny. When he asks about the movie Claire tells him it was directed by a Belgian direct, Paul Donielle. In a nervous sweat he rushes into Claire's bathroom and looking into the medicine cabinet ad finds that Loftis is O+ and that he has secobarbital, what was used to kill Goines and others. When he reaches home he checks his grand jury notes and, much to his horror, realizes Claire knew who he was due to the various run ins with Duarte. As he continues his investigation to the wolverine and dentures he goes to a wolverine farm of some sort and the owner tells him no, you cannot use their teeth because they're too mean but when he did work at a zoo someone was feeding a certain one and in the summer of '42 stole him. Going to an taxidermist they tell him no ones does wolverine teeth and most of their employees are women but they have hired from the local high schools on occasion. While all the referrals were Mexican and Japanese he figures he could've been someone no one remembered. Figuring him as a local kid and Goines' burned face burglary accomplice in '43 and '44 he goes to Ramparts Station to go through their files, looking for suspects that match burglaries from that time period in the Bunker Hill area. Finding 11 unsolved cases he remembers that there were cases in the San Fernando Valley as well. Going there he discovers names of possible burglars who were breaking curfew during the war and comes up with among others a Coleman Massike. Noticing the burglaries went from may to August of '42, the day before the Sleepy Lagoon murder he goes to question Juan Duarte. While there is some initial resistance due to his decoy activity eventually Duarte tells him that he went to see Hartshorn after Augie's murder due to his involvement with Sleepy Lagoon and that Hartshorn spoke with a Detective Breuning who came to see him. He also tells Danny that Loftis had a brother whose face was bandaged up but after they came off he was good looking and young 18-19, better than Loftis. Also that he showed up around the time of the SLDC and bragged about how he saw a big white man kill Jose Diaz. The Mexicans right him off as just wanting to get in their good graces. When they confront him and say why are you running from him he says he has special protection. Danny almost has it but can't fit the missing piece of how se inspired him to do it. Going back home he no sooner goes towards the elevator than he is attacked and hauled in by two policeman who take him to be question by Chief Thad Green who questions him regarding Niles. In the ensuing chaos Green asks him about the queer remark to which Danny lies. Getting upset Green says he'll need to come into work tomorrow to do a polygraph test. On his way out he runs into Dudley says only Gorden is a good a judge of character and commends him on his intelligence for figuring out his involvement with Hartshorn's death and Diaz's. Telling him the test would reveal his homosexuality and everyone would know he goes home and tear his place apart when he doesn't find his files. Taking out his gun he prepares to kill himself but thinks what the police will say. Going over to get a shard of glass, but not before seeing Dudley, and slits his throat from ear to ear. Category:Characters from The Big Nowhere Category:Gay characters Category:Suicides